By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
2024 proved to be a challenging season for Hillcrest baseball.
The Hornets posted a 2-28 record, falling to Willard in the district tournament.
For longtime head coach Ryan Schaffitzel, last season’s key was getting an extremely young team valuable experience, while at the same time keeping everyone focused and engaged during a season where, most nights, Hillcrest ended up on the wrong side of the scoreboard.
“Last year’s team was one of the youngest and least experienced teams that I have had,” Schaffitzel said. “We always play a very competitive schedule, and our youth and inexperience showed in our record. We had two seniors that played meaningful innings and most days we started five sophomores and a freshman. The upside to that is that we had several players who gained varsity experience that would have been JV players most years.
“We finished the season on a long losing streak and the thing that I was concerned about was the younger players getting frustrated and losing interest. What impressed me the most was the resilience that the team showed and continued to come to practice each day and work to get better.”
A trio of seniors step into leadership roles for the Hornets this season in Jesse Askin, Leighton Herrmann and Austin Miller.
Schaffitzel on Askin: “Jesse is a returning starter who will play first base and pitch. He can fill in behind the plate, as well. Jesse came into our program without a lot of competitive baseball experience, but he has worked very hard and become a solid player. He is someone who is a good teammate and is willing to play whatever role the coaches ask of him.”
Schaffitzel on Herrmann: “Leighton will be a four-year letterman and three year starter. He is signed to continue his baseball career at Mission University. He has the ability to be a game changer on the mound and at the plate. We have big expectations for Leighton this year both as a player but just importantly as a teammate and a leader. He will hit in the middle of our lineup, be one of our top three pitchers and will likely play a middle-infield position on the days he doesn’t pitch. Leighton is one of the players that will help determine to kind of season we will have as a team.”
Schaffitzel on Miller: “Austin is our most versatile player who has played every position on the field at some point in his Hillcrest career. He is an infielder who had never caught before but was forced into playing catcher last season due to injuries. Austin accepted the challenge and worked very hard to become the best he could be behind the plate. He has also athletic and has played some outfield for us as well. This year he will be asked to play all over the field again as well as pitch either as a fourth starter or in relief. He will be a big part of our success this season.”
Seven juniors also return for Hillcrest in Wyatt Adams, Jayden Brown, Hunter Bussard, Kasen Delong, Jackson Miller, Colton O’Neil and Harrison Parkin.
Schaffitzel on Adams: “Last season Wyatt was coming off knee and elbow surgery that limited his availability in the spring. He was completely cleared by last summer and played a lot of competitive baseball both for us and his travel team. He has grown and gotten stronger and faster since last season. He will be part of the competition on the infield at either a corner position or second base. He will also get some relief innings on the mound as the season goes. Wyatt is another player who has not missed an offseason workout and you can tell he is hungry to play.”
Schaffitzel on Brown: “Jayden Brown is a junior who got to play a lot of varsity innings last year and will benefit from that this spring. He is also versatile and likely will play a corner infield or corner outfield spot for us this year and will also be one of our relievers on the mound. He is a smart player who understands the game.”
Schaffitzel on Bussard: “Hunter was a starter at DH for several of our games last season. He has a very quick bat and when the bat and a ball are in the same place good things happen. Hunter also has a very strong arm that, if he is throwing strikes, he will w be able to help us on the mound. Hunter needs to cut down on his swing and miss and have productive at bats this season to help our team win. Hunter will see time as a corner outfielder and DH and will go as far as his bat will take him.”
Schaffitzel on Delong: “Kasen played a lot of innings at 2nd base as a sophomore last season. We DH’d for him most days. He has gotten bigger and stronger over the offseason. Kasen is a player that will be competing for innings on the mound as a reliever as well as innings on the infield. Last summer we had him at third base as well as his arm strength improved. His ability to hit and execute offensively will determine the amount of at bats he gets this year. He is at every offseason workout and has shown a strong desire to be a full-time starter this spring.”
Schaffitzel on Miller: “Jackson had a great sophomore season for us both on the mound, in the outfield and at the plate. He is an incredibly efficient left-handed pitcher who throws a ton of strikes and changes speeds well. This makes him difficult for other teams to square up. This season we expect Jackson to be one of our top three starting pitchers and hit either 1, 2 or 9 in the order. Jackson gives us an opportunity to win each time he is on the mound and is a very steady outfielder with the speed to run down a lot of balls.”
Schaffitzel on O’Neil: “We are excited to have Colton back this year after missing his entire spring season last year with a torn labrum. He was able to play the last few weeks of summer and picked up where he left off as a freshman. As a freshman, Colton was a full-time starter in the outfield. He is another player with a great deal of versatility. His natural position is catcher but he can also play on the infield as well. As his arm gets in shape, we hope that he will emerge as a third or fourth starter and long reliever to give us another chance to win a game each week.”
Schaffitzel on Parkin: “Harrison is another player who has a great deal of athletic ability and baseball skill but is lacking competitive baseball experience. He has good speed and a quick bat. He needs to improve his contact at the plate and his ability to execute on offense with bunts and hit and runs. Harrison plays outfield and will likely be asked to move all around the outfield and play whichever spot is vacated by that day’s pitcher. Harrison has a very positive outlook and is always picking up players when things don’t go their way. His attitude and ability will be huge assets for us for the next two years.”
Sophomores Lyric Scott and Turner Young round out Hillcrest’s returning players.
Schaffitzel on Scott: “Lyric was a leader on our JV team last spring and then gained a lot of varsity experience during summer ball. Lyric is one of the smartest players we have had and has a great understanding of the game. He has grown physically and has worked hard in the weight room as well. He will be competing for varsity playing time with the other infielders. Lyric will also be in the mix for relief innings on the mound as well. Lyric is a high character kid who is very popular among his teammates and classmates. We will count on his maturity and leadership this spring.”
Schaffitzel on Young: “Turner was another who got a great deal of varsity experience last spring by starting nearly every game in either right field or third base. Turner has played a lot of competitive ball in the summer and that edge helped him compete at the plate at the varsity level. He is an extremely hard worker. Turner is another player with a lot of versatility, and we can plug him into several places on defense. Turner makes a lot of contact at the plate and after another year in the weight room he is going to see more of the balls that he puts in play find gaps. Turner will likely hit in the 5-8 spots in the order.”
Schaffitzel also expects several varsity newcomers to step in and compete for playing time in Jude Cochran, Eli Bates, Brytain Wagner, Dad Birman, Anthony Shover and Landon Coker.
“All of our returning players have a bad taste in their mouth from the way last season went,” Schaffitzel said. “We have had good participation in our fall and winter offseason programs and most of our players have gotten into our strength and conditioning class and gained strength and speed. We feel we will have more team speed than we have had in a while. We hope to use that to get more guys in scoring position and score more runs.”
Schaffitzel believes his pitching staff will be able to develop throughout the season and keep Hillcrest in a position to compete on a nightly basis.
“On the mound, we have several pitchers who will give us an opportunity to win games if they can throw strikes,” Schaffitzel said. “We have emphasized strikes and location more in our offseason bullpen sessions and have seen some improvement in that area, but we will need to continue to improve in the early season and the postseason.”
Hillcrest’s overall depth and versatility will allow the Hornets to adapt to most any situation during the season and fill holes on an as-needed basis, according to Schaffitzel.
“Defensively, what I like about our team is our versatility,” Schaffitzel said. “We have multiple players who we can plug in at several positions including catcher. We have 3-4 players who we can put behind the plate. That is a luxury we haven’t had in a while. This will give those versatile players more opportunities to play and will ultimately make our team better. We don’t have any pitcher-only players so we will be using position players each day to pitch, this is another place our versatility should benefit us when it comes to filling in the hole left by the guy on the mound.”
Following a March 14 jamboree at Glendale with Fair Grove, Parkview and the host school, Hillcrest opens its season March 20 at home against Republic.
